( CLOSED ) Maybe my heart is getting selfish.

[oorah]

WHO: Franky C
WHERE: House 3 > House 6
WHEN: July 31
OPEN TO: Claire Temple
WARNINGS: general nerdliness tbh

---

[ it isn't long after she'd walked out on him that frank feels the need to apologize. he isn't good at apologizing, just like he hadn't been good at you know, not being a dick. it's midmorning the next day and he has a fresh bouquet of sunflowers for her, tied with cornhusks the same way as the first. and painted on a small dart of fabric is just the letters I-O-U. he thinks she'll know exactly who they're from even without his usual food-shaped monogram. oh yeah, that's right, he fully intends to ding-dong-ditch these babies like he's in the fifth grade.

frank makes his way up to house 3 as silent as ever and deposits the flowers onto the stoop. then he's beating a hasty retreat back across the street with the full intention not to be noticed even in full sunlight. of course, aretha betrays his position, and he can't even blame her. he's never come to the house without taking her somewhere literally ever before, like the cool dad he's still trying desperately not to be, and the bloodhound's ear-splitting braying would make a man half as jumpy as frank jump clean out of their skin. he freezes as the door opens behind him, knowing he's been made. ]

Comments

[theluckygirl]

[ no, claire wasn't sorry for walking away like she did the night before, nor was she naive enough to think frank would be for being who he was. she couldn't fault him for it and that really wasn't the problem. the problem was not wanting to feel like the bad guy or the 'nagging friend' for pointing it out. and by the end of their exchange, when he chose to reassure her the way he did when it came to taking care of himself, she had to ask herself if she wanted to do this all over again? or was dealing with matt enough for one lifetime?

no, she was worth more than that. as both a person and a friend.

so, claire didn't expect to see him trying to scuttle off as fast as he can when she opens the door to leave. something aretha protests more than alerting the two women that live in the house to his presence, which claire realizes who it is by the yellow flowers that pull her attention to them.

ah, she understands now.

slowly, the nurse steps down before gesturing back up towards the flowers and note still up on the porch. ]

In all honesty, I didn't expect that. You didn't have to.

[ A pause. ]

What's the IOU for?

[oorah]

[ he spins on his heel, trying to conceal the grimace before he turns back around to face her. there's a soft, uneasy smile there even as aretha runs out to greet him. he pets her head without looking, ending up with a hand full of slobber instead, but his focus is on claire. he thinks of all the people he ever tried to push away who only wanted to be there for him, and maybe he doesn't want to do it either. maybe he's tired. he had chased jessica up and down and sideways, all over reims, and she had pushed and pushed and pushed until they were nearly strangers. he can't do it anymore, he has to rebuild. after maria and curtis, david and even karen- he doesn't want it for himself and claire. he knows they're sick of it in equal measure. ]

A cup of coffee.

[ he says earnestly after a moment, forcing himself to meet her eyes unwaveringly this time. ]

It doesn't mean you have to accept my apology. [ the flowers were the apology, you see. ]

[theluckygirl]

[ when frank turns, she's slowing to a stop. not too close and yet not too far that they would have to talk louder so the other one could hear. claire meets his eyes and in the moments before he answers, she watches him; almost as if she was listening to him speak, even though he wasn't.

and when he does answer, she gives a slow nod in understanding, looking down and then up again before her expression softens even more. ]

I could use a cup right now.

[ did he even want to talk right now given how quickly he wanted to drop the flowers and note off? she wasn't sure, but she did and didn't want to wait now. ]

brackets will be easier they said it'll be great they said

[oorah]

[ he's actually kind of glad she caught him up. dropping flowers and running is more of the same shit in the end, and isn't he trying to change? danny had told them people can, if they want to. and that kid was somehow full of like zen bullshit wisdom he kind of had been completely sucked in by (oops.) ]

Me too.

[ frank turns away from her again, but only to traverse the two streets that separate their houses. aretha is already nudged in smoothly against his side, waiting for her next instruction. claire had probably noticed the work going on at house 6. kamala and frank had been working hard, detritus built up in the yard from where they're tearing down the soundproofing. it's a metaphor he's sure but one he hasn't bothered to look into yet. there's a power line running to it now, too, and a small pen in the backyard with a friendly groffle whose tail can probably be seen around the side as they come up to the porch. it's more of the same, frank finally having found a project at least shortterm. he'll probably be begging karen and claire to fix up theirs next.

he opens the door for her and leaves it open after himself, rather than make her go first. aretha is getting better at barrelling by, waiting her turn and stepping gingerly inside. before the pair is even in he's beelining for the kitchen to start their coffee, a shiny new percolator (and popcorn maker) sitting out on the counter along with a crate full of coffee. this is more like it, hell town #2. maybe next time there will be bourbon too. ]

[theluckygirl]

[ claire had noticed the work being done on his house and was glad to see him finally settling in and learning it was alright to speak there. habits would still be hard to shake for a while yet, but eventually, he would. she was pretty sure of it, mostly because there was not much choice in the matter. it also wasn't the worst of places one could be stuck, despite all that has happened to her in the ten or so months being there.

walking in behind aretha, claire can't help but look around casually. she's not being nosy and actually follows to the kitchen and stands just at the entrance to watch him.]

You're one of the lucky ones who got coffee, too. And electricity. I'm jealous.

[ not horribly jealous but a little bit and she smiles for a quick moment as he sets to work on getting the coffee started. ]

[oorah]

I can work on yours next if you want.

[ habits died hard, indeed. it's so automatic to offer, it's only after that he realizes it's presumptuous. he stares down at his mayoral bracelet and heaves out a silent sigh as he finishes loading the machine and turns it on. better than his french press in reims, even. this is the life. he turns to face her again, leaning back against the counter as he wipes off his hands on a towel, letting the machine do its job. ]

Or not. You know, your call.

[theluckygirl]

I would love for you to and I can't see Karen objecting but I'll talk to her about it.

[ she nods.

claire remains where she is, but hates the distance, regardless of the fact there's an elephant in the room, so she stays where she is for now. ]

As long as you're okay with a few dinners in trade. Comes with dessert, too.

[ it's her way of easing into things. ]

[oorah]

Thanks.

[ it's quick. maybe even too- every time he tries to talk to karen about something serious it ends poorly. maybe he needs claire's help with that too. dinner though. it brings the wannest of smiles to touch his lips. ]

Now, that sounds like an offer I can't refuse. [ but one she knows he would have tried to before now. ]

[theluckygirl]

[ she does have to give it to him for trying so soon and when he gives her that smile, yes, claire can't help but give him a warm smile back.

her eyes seek his out and there's a soundless 'thank you' in them. ]

Not to toot my own horn, but I make a pretty mean blueberry pie.

[ she laughs quietly and there's a pause that follows before she looks down at the floor, deciding how to talk about this. ]

Before getting here, I spent a lot of time around powered people and some I got pretty close to and came to care a lot about, one in particular. He spent too much time worrying about taking care of everyone else and it ended up consuming him to the point where he ignored injury and anyone who told him to take care of himself. It became very much a case of if I wasn't with him, I was against him.

[ by the time she finishes that, Claire is looking at him again. ]

And everything I said, because I cared, was heard and considered nagging.

[ Claire's voice wavers as she shrugs, but she doesn't break. ]

And now he's dead.

[oorah]

Coffee goes great with blueberry pie. [ he points out, grateful for the upswing before it shifts back down again. that's more like it. his lips press together and he leans back to listen, arms barred across his chest with the kitchen towel tucked into the fold of them for the time being.

one thing about not talking: he's become a really good listener. and everything she says - strikes a cord. powers: check, standoffishness: check. he can remember jessica's message so clearly, coincidentally the night he and claire kissed by the fire. that was the night he became her lieutenant. that was the night everything changed. if you're not with them you're against them is damn right. hell, sometimes even being with them was taken as against in the end. look at the way himself and jess had split.

frank swallows when he gets to the dead part. wait- is she talking about matt? he wants to give them both plausible deniability so he doesn't ask. but it has to be, right? what other prick superhero up and dies after running roughshod over three women's hearts? that's right, elektra had been in reims too. ]

That's not on you.

[ he sounds sure, but then he's remembering, or actually applying what claire had said. two-way street. if it's not on her what happened to matt then it's not on him what happened to jess. they tried, right? they did everything they could but in the end frank and claire both couldn't betray their own ideals even for people they desperately cared for. ]

I know because I lived it.

[theluckygirl]

Maybe not, but I sure feel a lot of guilt about it. I shouldn't, I tried and feel like I didn't do enough because he kept me at arm's length for my own good. But I saw it every time I had to patch him up and I couldn't say anything about it.

[ and it didn't just stop with Matt. she got to see it with jessica and there was some small worry at the back of her head that eventually she would see it with Luke, too, but it hadn't happened yet.

claire was strong enough to decide when to stop something she got no gain from anymore and she wasn't going to go through the same thing she did with matt again.

taking a deep breath she keeps her eyes on frank and shakes her head. ]

I don't want to just be the nurse who patches you up after a bad night or be lumped in as someone who needs protecting because I can do that on my own and have managed pretty good so far.

[ honestly, she has no idea if any of this is being heard. time will tell.]

I don't want anyone telling me what I want to hear or told something simply because it will please me. That's why I walked away from you yesterday. It was too familiar.

[oorah]

[ his frown grows deeper as she goes on, not because she called him out, but because she's actually wrong. her base assumption was flawed and now she's built on it in her head. the coffee is almost done but he ignores it for now, tossing the towel blindly onto the countertop behind him and takes a step off it. there's no anger in his speech, but there is heat. he gets why she's upset but he's also sick of people taking out their shit on him in this place. ]

Claire, I'm tryin' to tell you I wouldn't do that. I'm not him. I know you can take care of yourself, I watched you do it. You're goddamn amazing to me.

[ he should know better than make grand statements like that after everything, but it's true okay. he's in fucking awe of her and she should know it. ]

I wasn't trying to dismiss you, okay? It just came out wrong. I'm still... learning.

[ how to have a fucking conversation like a normal person? yeah, that. he signs Sorry in ASL and looks down at his boots. this is about the time he expects her to walk out. it's what everyone else has done to him, time and time again. ]

[theluckygirl]

[ the praise is unexpected but it feel good to hear. from someone. even if she doesn't know frank as well as he seems to know her. that's okay, at least he took the time to pay attention and notice.

it makes her feel bad for assuming he'd be like matt, but she'll forgive herself. no, he's not him but their surprising bond right from the moment they met felt eerily similar.

claire stays where she is while he speaks and when he's done and looks down after signing his apology, she steps forward and stops in front of him, lifting a hand to sign back m-e t-o-o ]

We both are.

[she trusts his word and nods when he looks back up at her. she wasn't going to walk out on him again and that was something she wouldn't tell him. he will just have to see that on his own, first hand. ]

[oorah]

[ he catches the movement of her hands, translating them as she bridges their gap. his heart swells with being heard for a change himself, nodding in acceptance of what she says. frank reaches out to put a heavy hand on her arm just above the crook of her elbow and meets her eyes, his own gaze wet and just about ready to overflow at a moment's notice. ]

Wanna share your notes?

[ frank asks gamely, accepting his own fuck-ups in tandem with her apology. he's still getting used to being a person someone might bother to apologize to. but the sooner he can break his habit of being the town doormat, the better. for all parties involved. he rubs at her arm once before pulling back, the percolator done doing its thing. he turns away from her and takes the time to fill a bowl of water for aretha who immediately appears to lap it up. then he glances back over his shoulder now that he's confident she's staying. ]

Black okay? [ he pulls down cups but will wait for her answer before he starts to pour. ]

[theluckygirl]

[ his hand on her arm is immediately covered with a hand, the tips of her fingers curl around the side of it as she tilts her head to the side in a half shrug; her smile. ]

Got a few hours?

[ worst part is she isn't even joking. not when every time she turns around there's someone new to come to care about.

she nods at the question and moves over to the edge of the counter to watch him fill the mugs. ]

You know, my mother thinks meeting powered people was my fate but after meeting Matt, Jessica, Luke and Danny, I don't know what I've done for any of them that's changed their lives or even added some valuable lesson learned.

[ she looks up and studies the profile of his face. ]

What is it that makes me amazing to you?

[ it's a fair question to ask, right? ]

[oorah]

My schedule's pretty open.

[ it sounds like a throwaway line, but after filling every moment of every day in reims with activity, with work, it's significant. and even before that, he had been singularly focused on avenging his family. here he's just surviving, or trying to. he's in unfamiliar territory. and he can still feel the warmth of her hand covering his even moments after he's pulled away. frank hands her her mug and tips his against hers in a little tap before he drinks deep, not caring when it burns his mouth. ]

You know... all of them?

[ frank did too, now, but explaining that would take an equal amount of time. he fixes her with his stare, thinking back. but there's no point of reference for this, only honesty. when he'd told jessica she was amazing she told him to shut the fuck up. he should stop expecting her to be someone else, too. ]

It's not... it's not that you don't feel fear, right? You're scared, probably more than other people, because you're around danger all the time. [ after a second he realizes he's describing himself too and he shakes his head to clear it. ] The important thing is - you don't let it stop you. You don't let anything stop you, from doing what you think is right. It's amazing, okay? That's it.

[theluckygirl]

[ Another nod, slow and it probably conveys a sense of that she might not believe it - not that it's amazing, but what most normal people do in situations where they have an indomitable spirit without knowing it.

It's no different than what anyone else she knew would do. And yes, she realizes he's describing himself so him, too. Pure emotion can make people do things they never expected they would do. ]

Well, thank you for noticing. But you do the same thing, too.

[oorah]

Maybe. [ he admits even if it's clear he's uncomfortable doing so. it's definitely not something he personally sees in everyone, so maybe this is a like recognizing like situation. either way, he admires her and that isn't about to change. ] Whether or not you remember it, you did save me. I'm never gonna forget that.

[ or stop trying to pay it back. ]